It's not even the 9th.

I used to have a thing about Christmas prior to the 9th of December.  You see, it's my birthday on the 8th.  As I was growing up, the preparations would start after my birthday; the tree would go up, the house decorated, shopping done.  It was just the way it was.  It wasn't until my early 20s that my mother started getting the tree out earlier that my day in December, or that Christmas preparations started before then.  It took a lot of getting used to on my part, and it took a long time to know why I felt that it all should wait.

It was like getting ready for a holiday that happens after my birthday, prior to my birthday, felt like everyone close to me was skipping over my special day.  Everyone else's birthday was a solitary holiday, one to shop and look forward to on it's own.  However, mine was to be shared with another more imposing, more joyous holiday.  Yes, I realize how selfish and self-serving that sounds, but that's how it felt.  Making this realisation a number of years ago helped me grow.

So this weekend we decorated for Christmas, and it was so much fun.  It would have been last weekend, but that was the time Rick and I were away in Grand Forks, and as it turns out, buying a new tree for our place.  This year we went the artificial tree route and chose a pre-lit, "slim" model, so that the tree didn't take up the whole living room, desperately needed for an active 3 year old. 
Erika had a wonderful time decorating the tree, examining all ornaments and insisting on adding them herself.  (I fixed it afterwards.)  :) It was such a fun time. 

While decorating, Erika found the ornament we made with her hand print on her 1st Christmas, 2008. 

She had to examine it and compare.  :)

Garland over the bay window decorated with my collection of Starbucks ornaments.

Commercialism at its best, and I love it.

Our new "slim" tree.  Plenty room for it and to play! 

Our mirror, all in the spirit of the holidays. 

My all-time favorite moment, however, came spontaneously after all the decorating was done.  Rick called me up from the basement,saying I just had to see it.  We had left the stockings unhung, not knowing where I was going to place them yet.  Erika found them, and decided to try on the "Santa suit":

Priceless little girl.  xooxoxox